• Advertisements (View examples in this linked PowerPoint)  
  
• TV, Movies, Entertainment  
• Video Game Characters
• Song Lyrics
• Others...

• All persons are sexual.
• Sexuality is a good part of the human experience.
• Sexuality includes much more than sexual behavior.
• Sexuality is part of who we are, not just what we do.
• Human beings are sexual from the time they are born until they die.
• It is natural to express sexual feelings in a variety of ways.
• People engage in healthy sexual behavior for a variety of reasons including to express caring and love, to experience intimacy and connection with another, to share pleasure, to bring new life into the world, and to experience fun and relaxation.
• Sexuality in our society is damaged by violence, exploitation, alienation, dishonesty, abuse of power, and the treatment of persons as objects.
• It is healthier for young adolescents to postpone sexual intercourse..

• Provide accurate information
• Increase self esteem, body knowledge, etc.
• Increase awareness of situations where they could be exploited
• Prevent inappropriate sexual behavior
• enrich their lives
• help them learn to enjoy company of others
• increase successful and effective personal decision making
• prevent public hysteria over inappropriate statements and actions
• teach responsibility of a sexual person (make informed choices / expect and live with consequences)
• Provide insight into self, relationships, marriage, etc.
• help them communicate about sex with others without guilt or embarrassment.

1. Sensuality - Awareness, acceptance of, and comfort with one's own body; physiological and psychological  enjoyment of one's own body and the bodies of others. Body Image Human Sexual Response Cycle Skin Hunger Fantasy

2. Intimacy - The ability and need to experience emotional closeness to another human being and have it returned. Caring Sharing Liking/Loving Risk Taking Vulnerability Self-disclosure Trust

3. Sexual Identity - The development of a sense of who one is sexually, including a sense of maleness and femaleness. Gender Identity Gender Role Sexual Orientation Biological Sex (the plumbing and parts)

4. Sexual Health and Reproduction - Attitudes and behaviors related to producing children, care and maintenance of the sex and reproductive organs, and health consequences of sexual behavior. Factual Information Feelings and Attitudes Sexual/Reproductive Systems Anatomy & Physiology of Reproductive Organs Intercourse

5. Sexualization - The use of sexuality to influence, control, or manipulate others. Rape Incest Sexual Harassment Withholding Sex or Bargaining with Sex Seduction / Flirting Exploitative Use of Sexuality

Sexuality Challenges for people with Developmental Disabilities    (From Geo. Turner)

• Separate myth from fact (we fill in the blanks where there is ignorance)
• lack of privacy
• challenge of learning to take reasonable risks
• learning to make good decisions about sex
• learn boundaries - "who does my body belong to?"
• transportation limits
• poor communication and interpersonal skills
• Social Bias - "you don't need this!", "child in adult body", attributions of being over/under sexed
• reproductive bias - the only "good" sex is in marriage
• Intercourse bias - "real" sex is intercourse (as in the name of "foreplay" being that it is before the actual sex, it isn't really anything in and of itself)
• Socialization to please the staff - the staff control all resources, you dare not upset them.
• Vulnerability to sexual exploitation
• Inappropriate sexual expression - generally due to lack of exposure to appropriate forms of sexual expression.

• Tendency to attribute hyper and/or hypo sexuality.
• With casting people with disability into "child" role, love becomes "cute".
• Social attitude that sex is for the young & beautiful - where does that place disability issues?
• Reading from No Pity about

"Developing a positive sexual self-image is an important part of adolescence. As with all youths, this can be problematic for youths with disabilities who do not meet the artificial standards of beauty and physical prowess set in today's media and mainstream culture. Adult role models can help provide more realistic understanding and social opportunities to facilitate normal sexual development. In families without similarly disabled adults, these role models may need to be found outside the family. Adolescents will view themselves as sexual beings when parents and others relate to them in a way that assumes they will marry or develop other long term relationships as adults. Overprotectiveness and avoidance of sexuality and relationships can lead adolescents to internalize messages that they are asexual. Finally, sexual knowledge is critical - both knowledge about sexuality in general and the specific implications of the disability on sexuality. Adolescents need opportunities for self-exploration. In addition, group and educational programs about sexuality and disability can aid positive psychosexual development.

"...If their bodies are objectified by others during care, therapy, examinations, and other procedures, they may come to view their bodies as asexual. Adolescents (and others) with disabilities are also more susceptible to sexual abuse by providers and others who may take advantage of their vulnerabilities. Sexual abuse can occur at any age, and environments that discourage victimization and help adolescents (and others) exercise sexual self-determination are important for personal and sexual growth.

"People who acquire disabilities as adolescents face added challenges that those who enter adolescence with disabilities do not have. Commonly, they carry stereotypical ableist attitudes that can hamper acceptance of a disability. Families can be thrown into crisis.
(From Mackelprang & Salsgiver, page 70)

Interesting Internet Sites

Planned Parenthood
The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) Annotated biblio on sex & disability